Bangladesh likely to declare general holiday from 14 April

The government is likely to announce general holiday from 14 April to contain the spread of coronavirus, a cabinet division official has said.

The official on Sunday said the general holiday will be initially declared for one week, considering the situation the period may be extended by another week.

The restrictions including suspension of public transport services will be clarified in the circular, the official added.

Meanwhile, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said the bus services of long-route will remain closed on 12 and 13 April. The complete lockdown will begin from 14 April.

Government sources said the general holiday will be more or less like the one declared last year. The general holiday was declared for 10 days on 26 March last year, and it was extended to 66 days in phases. Except emergency services, everything remained shut initially. But garment factories reopened later.

This year, four readymade garment sector associations BGMEA, BKMEA, BTMEA and EAB at a press conference on Sunday made a demand to keep the garment factories open.